It often seems as if every other driver on the road is chatting on a cell phone, texting friends or paying more attention to dashboard screens than to what’s happening on the pavement. However, a new study suggests many do have their eyes on the road and are serious about avoiding distraction.

According to a survey to be released today by consulting firm Altman Vilandrie & Co. and survey and sampling company uSamp, half of U.S. drivers say the potential for distraction would discourage them from buying certain automotive media features including navigation and Wi-Fi.

However, the study also indicates demand for wireless communications and navigation in cars is still high. There is a conflict because drivers tend to want in-car technology only if it is easy to use and doesn’t take their attention away from the road.

“To some extent people want to talk with their cars and they want them to be Wi-Fi hotspots,” says Altman Vilandrie & Co. director Jonathan Hurd, who oversaw the research. The main feature drivers want in their cars is voice-controlled operation, Hurd says, especially of features like navigation. But car makers have been slow to offer systems that are truly conversational and intuitive in the way they interface with drivers.

Survey respondents were also interested in voice output, such as for hearing email and text messages, and social network information. But they were more than twice as likely to say this feature would be more useful for navigation than for other purposes.

The survey suggested interest in automotive media and communications, varied widely depending on the consumer’s age. Forty percent of people from 18 to 24 years old said in-car media significantly influenced their most recent car purchase, which is more than double the rate for older drivers. Still, drivers across demographic categories expressed concern about potential distraction resulting from the use of in-car media.

Hurd said that despite the buzz over new in-car technologies, “adoption of automotive media will be slow until providers and auto manufacturers can set consumers’ minds at ease regarding safety on the road and privacy of personal information.”